Pea Milk substitute

Best substitute

Soy Milk (Unsweetened)

Use the same amount as the pea milk you are replacing

Best for puddings

Different taste

Soy milk is the closest swap at one to one, because it is the only other plant milk with dairy-level protein, which is exactly why recipes specify pea milk. Dairy milk also works one for one if the dish does not need to be vegan. Oat milk is creamy and pleasant but has a third of the protein, so add a teaspoon of cornstarch per cup anywhere the recipe has to set or thicken.

Other pea milk substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Whole Dairy Milk
Different taste
Use the same amount
The benchmark pea milk was designed to imitate, so results are the closest of anything here.
What changes
Best for
custards, pastry cream, sauces, baking, coffee
Same protein, more fat, better browning, no aftertaste. If the recipe called for pea milk for nutritional or environmental reasons rather than dietary ones, this is simply the better ingredient. Not an option for a vegan or dairy-allergic dish.
3Oat Milk Plus Cornstarch
Different taste
Use the same amount plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch per cup where the dish must thicken or set
Creamier mouthfeel but far less protein, so it needs help holding together.
What changes
Best for
coffee, creamy soups, pancakes, muffins, mashed potatoes
Oat milk feels richer in the mouth than pea milk does, so a soup or latte is arguably better. The problem is structural: at roughly two to three grams of protein per cup, a pudding made with plain oat milk stays loose and a bechamel never gets proper body. The cornstarch closes that gap. Oat milk is also sweeter, so pull back a teaspoon of sugar per cup in desserts and add salt in savory dishes.
4Coconut Beverage Plus Pea Protein Powder
Different taste
1 cup carton coconut milk plus 1 tablespoon unflavored pea protein powder
The closest reconstruction if pea protein is specifically what the recipe needs.
What changes
Best for
puddings, protein smoothies, custards
Blend the powder in rather than stirring, or it clumps. This gets you back to roughly pea milk's protein level and body, at the cost of a clear coconut aroma. Fine in chocolate pudding, obvious in vanilla. Use the thin drinking coconut milk from a carton, never the thick canned kind.
5Almond or Cashew Milk
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount honest limits below
Fine where the milk is only moisture, weak everywhere else.
What changes
Best for
muffins, pancakes, smoothies, cereal, oatmeal
This is where the truth matters. At one to two grams of protein per cup, these will not set a custard, will not build a clinging white sauce and will not brown a glazed top the same golden shade. In a muffin batter, where the liquid is just wetting flour, they are indistinguishable. Cashew is creamier than almond; almond is thinner and slightly astringent. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch per cup if you must use them in something that sets.
6Hemp or Flax Milk
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
The right answer only when allergies rule out the better options.
What changes
Best for
allergy-friendly baking, cereal, smoothies
Pea milk is nut-free and soy-free, so if that is why it was chosen, hemp and flax milk are the two swaps that keep that property, since both are also nut-free and soy-free. Both are thin and low in protein, so they behave like almond milk in the pan. Worth noting that peas are legumes, so pea milk itself is off the table for a legume allergy and hemp or flax is the standard replacement there.

What is Pea Milk?

Pea Milk is a plant milk made from yellow split pea protein blended with water and a little oil, sold mainly as Ripple and sometimes labeled pea protein milk, and it is the only widely sold plant milk that matches dairy milk gram for gram on protein, which is the job it is doing in a recipe: protein is what lets a custard set, a pancake brown and a latte foam.

Cooking tips

The reason a recipe developer specifies pea milk is protein, not flavor. Protein is what makes a custard set, a pudding hold, a sauce cling and a crust brown. If you swap in a low-protein milk you are not making a small flavor change, you are removing the structure, so pick soy or dairy for anything that must set and save almond or rice milk for batters.
Shake the carton hard and shake it every single time. Pea protein settles more than almond or oat, and the bottom third of an unshaken carton is noticeably thicker and more savory than the top.
Pea milk foams genuinely well for lattes, better than almond and about level with oat, again because of the protein. Heat it to about 140F rather than boiling, since scalded pea protein takes on a slightly sulfurous note.
It has a faint gray-green cast. That is completely invisible in chocolate, coffee, curry or anything with color, and slightly visible in a pale vanilla pudding or a white sauce. If the whiteness matters, soy or dairy is the better swap.
Check unsweetened against original before you cook. The original style carries several grams of added sugar per cup, which is enough to make a bechamel taste odd and enough to brown a pancake faster than you expect.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the pea milk out?

Not if it is the main liquid. In a batter you can get away with water plus a teaspoon of neutral oil per cup, and it will taste fine. But in a pudding, custard or cream sauce the pea milk was doing structural work, and water gives you a thin, watery result no matter what else you do. Substitute a protein-rich milk there instead.

Is pea milk the same as green pea milk or split pea soup flavor?

No. It is made from yellow split pea protein isolate, which has been separated from the starch and most of the flavor compounds, so it tastes neutral and faintly creamy rather than like peas. There is a slight savory background note but nobody would guess the source blind.

Why is my pudding made with almond milk instead of pea milk still runny?

Because you removed most of the protein that was setting it. Whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of milk, bring it to a full boil for a minute so the starch fully gelatinizes, then chill. That will get you a firm pudding, though the texture will be a little more gelled and less creamy than the pea milk version.

Is pea milk safe for a nut allergy?

Pea milk itself is nut-free and soy-free, which is a large part of its appeal, but always read your specific carton because facilities and formulations vary. If you are substituting away from pea milk and need to keep it nut-free and soy-free, hemp milk, flax milk, rice milk and coconut beverage are the options. Peas are legumes, so pea milk is not suitable for a legume or pea allergy.

Does pea milk work in coffee without splitting?

Usually yes, better than almond milk. To reduce the chance of curdling, pour hot coffee into the milk rather than milk into a hot acidic espresso, and avoid boiling it. Barista versions of pea milk have extra buffering salts specifically to prevent this.

Related substitutes

More dairy alternatives substitutes

Pea Milk substitute

Other pea milk substitutes

2Whole Dairy Milk

3Oat Milk Plus Cornstarch

4Coconut Beverage Plus Pea Protein Powder

5Almond or Cashew Milk

6Hemp or Flax Milk